Mike Hubbard

Big things happening this weekend in the world of Ear Nuggets, with one of the events happening right in the Big Apple. Mike Hubbard and his band will yet again grace the stage of one of Manhattan’s more legendary small venues, The Mercury Lounge on Friday night.

The singer-songwriter and talented multi-instrumentalist from rural Berks County, Pennsylvania (about 90 miles outside of Philadelphia) has been one of the lower east sides biggest up and comers for the last several months, playing a number of shows at both The Mercury Lounge and nearby Pianos. Hubbard (keys, guitar, vocals) will lead his band, made up of Eric Messihi on bass and vocals, Ian Grey on guitar, and drummer Patrick Moses, through original tunes from his first self-titled EP and will surely be sprinkling in upcoming songs from his unreleased album due out later this year.

Mike sent me a few unmastered tracks off of his upcoming full-length album and I can say without hesitation that this guy is really growing into himself as an artist. Hubbard’s first studio effort showed his more conservative side, likely a result of his time at Berklee College of Music in Boston, but spending a few years gigging in New York clubs and venues hardens any musician and is bound to inspire new sounds and encourage taking more risks. That’s exactly what Hubbard has been doing lately, and it’s been paying off.

Look out for tracks like “Wheels Fall Off,” and “Longview Drive,” (the latter an ode to the street he grew up on) in which we hear a more concrete voice crooning from experiences of growing up and adapting to a new, dare we say “adult” life in the city. Mike’s incredible knack for songwriting reaches out from every song, forcing the listener to stop what they’re doing, and pay attention dammit. His writing ability must certainly be a result of his education under Berklee professors like Pat Pattison, whose other students include the likes of Ear Nuggets favorite Liz Longley, and a guy you may of heard of, a little known musician, John Mayer.

But Hubbard is not Mayer. Not for lack of talent, mind you, rather, because Hubbard will not be the “next” anyone. With songs like “Cultural Capital,” and “Caesar,” (and other songs brought to you by the letter ‘C’) he’s proven he’s not really following anyone’s footsteps. Sure, he has influences. Who doesn’t? But Mike Hubbard has enough originality, creativity, artistry and musical talent that he’ll stand out just being himself and writing songs like “Soldiers,” a crowd favorite, every time. Although really, even though many of his songs can hit on an emotional level, a Mike Hubbard performance is anything but serious business. No one has more fun than Mike, and he combines his charismatic smile with a little humor and a little banter to try to remind those in attendance not to take themselves too seriously either.

Check out more of Hubbard’s music over at his website, michaelhubbardmusic.com, follow him on twitter, and read up on his bandmates over at his facebook. Tickets are still available for Friday night at the Mercury Lounge right here, and fellas, don’t say I didn’t warn you: Hubbard’s falsetto could lose you your woman. - Ear Nuggets

Here at Ear Nuggets on this fine Tuesday morning, we’re very excited to present our first Ear Nuggets First Listen: “Treading Water” by New York singer-songwriter Mike Hubbard. We had a chance to speak with this talented PA born, NY based musician. Check out bits from the interview, and then make sure you check out his newest single right here!

We’ve had our eye on this young up-and-comer for some time now from his first album, recorded while a student at Berklee College of Music.

Hubbard has been in New York City for a few years now and has made a serious name for himself as a highly sought after headliner at venues like Mercury Lounge and Pianos. He draws a loyal following all over the city that can’t help but nearly drown him out at his catchy choruses. His humor and energy on stage keeps all audiences entranced and leaves everyone looking at their watches when he walks off stage wondering where the time went. In spite of his success, he decided to crowd source his latest album. It wasn’t an easy decision, and the choice weighed on him heavily, but in the end, it paid massive dividends.

“Making a record is very, very expensive. The vision that I had for the work required much more than I had in my own pocket, especially with New York City rent to pay. I [also] wanted my fans, friends, and family involved in the process. My first record was really a solo venture, an exploration of sorts, because I had never been in studio before for my own music. It was a very introspective, isolated, and private process. As an artist who now knows himself a lot better than that student a few years ago, this new record gave me the opportunity to get other people involved, thus raising the stakes but feeling more connected. I did not expect to raise nearly as much as I did. Right before I launched the Kickstarter campaign, I realized this was a huge reality check. “Are people going to donate? Am I chasing a rapidly dissipating fantasy? Do my followers actually support me or view me as a charity case? Is this worth putting myself out there?”

Well… it was worth it. Hubbard got a ton of support. So much that he was easily able to fund his second record, and was even able to enlist the help of Brooklyn engineer and producer, Jason Finkel, an established producer whose credits include Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake and Yo-Yo Ma. Because music.

How’d Hubbard get hooked up with Finkel?

“Funny story,” says Hubbard, “Jason Finkel and I have had strangely parallel life paths. We both grew up in Berks County, PA, went to a small liberal arts college, felt unfulfilled and disillusioned there, transferred to Berklee after two years, then moved to New York City, all about ten years apart. A family friend who knew of him through a few degrees of separation told me to look him up as soon as I got off the bus from Boston. I didn’t expect him to respond to my email, but sure enough he got back to me pretty quickly, I assume because of the Berks County connection. We chatted over a beer at a place in Brooklyn, mostly reminiscing about our hometown and our own high school antics, barely mentioning music. After that, he gave me his card and I didn’t see him for over a year. When I got the recording bug, I gave him a call and the rest is history.”

The result? Dramatic, says Hubbard. His influence is all over the record.

“He’s been an incredible resource. This guy has listened to more records than anyone I have ever met, so he is a magician in studio, specifically with arranging. He’s totally changed my creative process for the better- I’m so much more conscious of small instrumental or vocal parts that color in the lines of a song now. No part is accidental or filler anymore.”

So what’s he going to do with all this support? He’s got plans.

“Tour, play a show I’ll remember for the rest of my life, record some more, graduate to a higher tier venue, and eat less ice cream.”

Hey, we all have goals, right?

Look out for a couple more show announcements at some familiar NYC venues for Hubbard and his band in the coming weeks along with the release of his latest album.

For now, enjoy the first single, “Treading Water” off his latest album.

Hubbard offered an explanation of the track:

“After I graduated college, I spent the summer on Cape Cod with a professional singing group. In a timeless vacation community like that, it’s so easy to happily put your life totally on hold and not notice how dangerous those doldrums can be. All of a sudden, the calendar pages seem to stop turning and it feels like the summer will never end, which at the time seems like a great thing in a hedonistic way. The song’s about a relationship that would pop up in a time and place like that, where specifics don’t really matter and you don’t have eyes on the future even though reality is looming on the horizon.”

By the way, get ready for this album. Hubbard offered us an advance copy and all I can tell you is “Treading Water,” great as it is, barely scratches the surface of this record. Don’t worry… we’ll keep you posted.

Head on over to his Facebook and Twitter pages to follow along with his latest adventures, including some videos of his most recent performance at Rockwood Music Hall, featuring unreleased music. - Ear Nuggets

Cripes I’ve never had such a bad case of TGIF in my life. I’m exhausted. BUT, we’ve reached the end of the week and thanks to weird new “rules”? I guess? Friday is now the industry day to release new music world wide. This is weird. I feel like you can theoretically release music whenever the damn hell you feel like it but hey, what do I know?

We’ve got a special treat today as we have the exclusive premier of New York singer-songwriter, Mike Hubbard, latest single, “Soldiers” off of his upcoming album.

An incredibly relatable song with producer Jason Finkel, Hubbard’s latest track provides a prime example of not only his vocal range, but his songwriting and arranging. A tune of growing up, Mike says, “Soldiers” is something of a “…millennial anthem” for those of us who started out with big dreams and are now lowly music bloggers.

…Okay that’s not quite what he said…

“Back when we were young and in high school,” Hubbard actually said, “it always seemed that everyone had their grandiose plans of what they wanted to fight for, who they wanted to be, and what their lives would become.”

*sigh*

“As the years passed, a lot of us realized that the world is much bigger, harsher, and more real than our upbringings may have let on. So being an astronaut isn’t necessarily realistic, but sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer and working on other people’s finances is.”

While my paralyzing fears of numbers and heights makes both of these options sound terrible, but I see what he’s saying. Sadly, my 5’6″ frame never allowed me to realize my dream of becoming a professional ice hockey player and as such, I can look forward to a daily commute and maybe even a daily choice of suits and ties.

Have no fear, if you’re still reading and haven’t listened yet, the song addresses these issues while not sounding like a horribly morose Sarah McLachlan Save the Puppies commercial.

We’re very excited to host the premier of Mike Hubbard’s latest single, “Soldiers,” and even more excited that he’ll be performing live this coming Sunday night at Rockwood Music Hall’s Stage 2. Oh… Did I mention it’s FREE!

BOOM! - Ear Nuggets